Protection
by Yumiko Shima
Summary: GaaraxLee. Gaara had sworn to protect Lee. But the Konoha nin isn't always the one who needs protecting.


**Protection **

**Summary:**** GaaLee. Gaara does too much. Now, it's Lee's turn to protect him. Re-up.**

**Disclaimer:**** If I owned Naruto… I wouldn't have to wonder what to have for lunch…**

**A/N:**** Re-up! I'm re-uploading a few things because I got the idea of a separate account for BL. Most of my watchers don't appreciate it. -laughing-**

**--**

"_Gaara-kun… Be my boyfriend! I will protect you to the day I die!"_

"_Wha…?" Gaara stared at Lee in shock._

_There was an awkward silence consisting of the two staring at each other in amazement. Finally, Gaara spoke up. "…How do you plan to protect me?"_

"_Is that a yes?"_

"…_hai…"_

_Rock Lee jumped around, shouting. "Thank you, Gaara-kun! I will not let you down!"_

_The Kazekage blushed uncomfortably. "You never answered my question."_

"_No harm will come to you when you are with me…?"_

"I_ promise to protect _you_ with _my_ life," the Kazekage corrected him, hesitantly stepping forward and taking a bandaged hand in his own._

--

The Kazekage stepped into the battle between the taijitsu master and the Sound shinobi. Lee was badly injured from a previous clash with two other Jonin and clearly wasn't in fighting shape. Gaara had promised to protect his boyfriend, after all.

"Gaara-kun!"

The Sound Chuunin shook her head. "You can't refer to the Kazekage as a –kun! If I called Kabuto-sama K-"

"He can refer to me as whatever he wants. You, however, can call me your worst nightmare." He gave her his most menacing smirk, sending the girl running away screaming. Some kunoichi…

--

The first time, Lee hadn't minded. He had been thankful, even. The second time was slightly more embarrassing.

He had challenged Neji, again. Today was the day he finally beat his rival! He knew it! Lee landed some solid blows across Neji's shoulders, and he was doing great for a while. But when Neji aimed for where a chakra point would be, Lee's arm was moving too fast to stop. The one painful blow delayed his reaction, giving Neji enough space to get a few decent hits.

That was when Neji found himself held to a tree by a thick rope of sand. Gaara helped Lee up.

"I could have beaten him, Gaara-kun! I am okay!" Lee took a lopsided fighting stance, facing Neji's tree.

"You don't look okay," the Kazekage observed.

--

The third time, Lee could've sworn his boyfriend was paranoid, psychic, or both. Every time he came over and Lee had mail, the Kazekage would open it, check for explosives or poison in the glue, and hand it over, instructing Lee to keep his hand away from the ink. Once, Gaara's sand actually caught a blast from a few exploding notes.

After that incident, Lee only checked his mail when Gaara was in Konoha.

--

Lee had overheard some nasty info about the Sound Village. They tried to capture him for interrogation, but…

Gaara was in Konohagakure for the week. Enough said.

They did, however, manage to take Gaara. Why didn't Lee fight back, you ask? He was…erm…_tied up_ in other things. But he was more than a little annoyed that he was stuck sand-cuffed to the couch for twelve hours, until Gai-sensei dropped by the next day. (If only Gaara could have protected him from the most awkward chat he'd ever had with his sensei…)

--

It was finally the mission to recover the Kazekage, led by Lee himself. Okay, he wasn't actually the head of the operation, but he did leave the rest of his squad behind in his haste to rescue Gaara.

It was his turn.

He rammed into the door of the torture chamber, but nothing could prepare him for what he saw.

Gaara was chained to the wall. Blood trickled down his face, and he gritted his teeth to avoid screaming out. Grime was smeared across one leg, with what looked like dog bites ripped along the pants' leg. His shirt was torn half open, with nasty gashes decorating his abs. They were giving him plasma pills for the blood loss, to keep him alive for the information. A ninja was poised across the room from him, holding a trio of senbon threateningly.

"Lee-kun," Gaara choked desperately; "you have to leave!"

"What did they do to you? Let him down!"

"Yeah, right! Like we'd obey orders from you! Get him!"

Lee fought, but there were just too many. He considered using Primary Lotus, but that was only for one opponent. He just wasn't strong enough.

Then he saw Gaara again. A shinobi had his kunai pressed to the Kazekage's throat. "One false move and he's done."

Would taking off your weights and throwing them at the idiot who threatened Gaara be considered "false"? At any rate, the blow killed the man.

Lee knew what he needed to do next. He backed against the wall next to his boyfriend.

"I love you, Gaara-kun. You told me that you would protect me. And you have. But it is my turn, now, to protect you."

"Lee-k…kun… I l…love you…too…what…?"

"Goodbye." Lee jumped into the middle of the room and disappeared under the surge of shinobi.

"LEE!" Gaara, suddenly alert, strained against the chains, but it was no use in his weakened state.

"**Initial gate, open!**" Chakra radiated from the crowd. "**Heal gate, open!**"

Gaara knew the move. He'd been on the wrong side of it before. But why had Lee said…

Oh.

"**Life gate, open! Harm gate, open! Limit gate, open! View gate, open!**"

It still wasn't enough. One of the other shinobi began opening gates as well. Lee pulled off to the side. "**Wonder gate… OPEN!**"

"No," Gaara coughed weakly.

And it still wasn't enough.

"**DEATH GATE, OPEN!!**"

--

**A/N: If you've seen the fight between Gaara and Lee, you know what that means. Or even if you haven't, "death" gate should be pretty self-explanatory.**

**Please drop me a line! I'd love to have constructive criticism! Honestly, what did you think?**


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